NEW YORK (AP) — Tyler Perry writes, directs, stars in and produces his own movies and TV shows, so he doesn’t have much time for outside projects. One he’s glad he made work is a role in director David Fincher's upcoming film, “Gone Girl.”

Based on the best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn, “Gone Girl” is the story of a man who comes under suspicion in the disappearance of his wife. The movie, scheduled for release next October, stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.

“Gone Girl” is “the most educational, awe-inspiring thing that I've ever done,” Perry said in a recent interview.

“Sitting in his presence, in his genius, the man is a genius,” he said of Fincher. “It really makes me go, ‘Whoa, let me just stop and take this in,’ so it’s been wonderful.”

And, as one filmmaker to another, he’s humbled by working with the Oscar-nominated director.

“I’m a storyteller. That man is a di-re-ctor. He is amazing. And to watch him work and to watch how he paints his pictures, the tableaus, everything is really just beyond anything I could ever imagine.”

Perry plays Madea, a big and boisterous grandmother he’s made popular in previous movies, in “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas,” now in theaters.